Dorset is a washed-rind, raw Jersey cow milk cheese made by Consider Bardwell Farm in Pawlet, Vermont. A soft ripening cheese with a rich, buttery texture, Dorset's flavors are seasonally influenced by the grasses and herbs the cows graze upon. An elegant appetizer or dessert, each slice of this cheese is a taste of Vermont's finest. It melts well, but we prefer to savor Dorset with crusty bread and fig jam. A big, zesty red wine would find Dorset to be a worthy partner at the table.

Spanning the rolling hills of Vermont's Champlain Valley and easternmost Washington County, New York, Consider Bardwell Farm was the first cheese-making co-op in Vermont, founded in 1864 by Consider Stebbins Bardwell himself. A century later, Angela Miller, Russell Glover, Chris Gray, and master cheesemaker Peter Dixon are revitalizing the tradition with goat milk from their herd of 100 Oberhaslis and cow milk from neighbor Lisa Kaimen's herd of 30 Jerseys. Rotational grazing on pesticide-free and fertilizer-free pastures produces the sweetest milk and the tastiest cheese. Consider Bardwell Farm's cheeses are made by hand in small batches from whole, fresh milk that is antibiotic and hormone free.